Linguine with Clams, Mussels and Bacon

Sometimes you just get a craving for some really good pasta that's super flavorful but not too complicated to make.  Here's the recipe for my last craving: 

Lobster Risotto with Roasted Asparagus

On Valentine's Day we kind of forgot to make reservations at the restaurant we had picked out... so we ended up at home cooking dinner instead.  That's always fine by me though, it's cheaper and just as fun and delicious.  Making lobster seemed like a very cliche thing to make on Valentine's Day, so off to the store we went.  Lobster Risotto is what we decided on.  I am a huge fan of risotto for several different reasons.  It's relatively cheap to make, it's filling and it can feed a lot of people.   It turned out great!  Here's how to make it:

Mexican Quinoa Salad with Shrimp

Here's an easy recipe for a light and refreshing quinoa salad with sauteed shrimp.  This can be served warm, chilled or at room temperature.  Here's how to make it:

Plain, Basic Risotto

This is my recipe for a very plain and basic risotto.  Once you've made this, you can turn it into any kind of risotto you want.  Just prepare your preferred ingredients in a separate pan, and when the risotto is done, stir them in.  Simple!  Here's how to make it:

What you'll need:

2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

1 onion, small dice

1 clove of garlic, minced

2 cups Arborio rice

8 cups chicken stock, heated

1/2 cup white wine

1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese

2 tbsp unsalted butter

Salt, as needed

Start by heating your chicken stock in a small pot.  You probably won't use all of it but it's better to have too much than too little.  When it's warm, set aside on low.

Heat a large pan over medium heat.  Coat the bottom of the pan with olive oil.  When the oil is hot, add the onion and season generously with salt.  Cook until the onion become translucent and tender.  Add the garlic and cook a minute more.

Add the Arborio rice and stir until all the rice is coated in oil.  Season once again with salt.  Add the white wine and stir until wine has been absorbed.

Start slowly adding the chicken stock to the rice, about a cup at a time.  Stir until the stock is absorbed and repeat this process until the rice is creamy and tender, stirring constantly.  Make sure you taste the rice to check its tenderness.  

When it is to your liking, add the butter and stir vigorously until melted.  Stir in the Parmesan cheese, taste for seasoning, and it's done!  Now you can add your choice of ingredients.

Root Vegetable Beef Stew

For Christmas my parents gave me a Le Creuset dutch oven.  I've been wanting one for years!  Thanks Mom and Dad!  I wanted to "break it in" with something really special.  I love beef stew and never have been able to make it at home because I didn't have the proper dish to use.  I woke up this Sunday and it was really gloomy and cold outside so I knew a big pot of beef stew would be perfect.  I really enjoy root vegetables like parsnips and celery root but never get to use them often, so I came up with a recipe for a beef stew that includes all of my favorite root vegetables.  I served this with my Mix & Match Herb and Cheese Biscuits.  Perfect for dunking!  Here's how to make it:

Onion Soup

This is a really easy soup with very few ingredients.  It makes a lot and leftovers are great.  Make sure you serve it with some crusty bread!  Here's how to make it:

Cream of Mushroom Soup

Cream of mushroom soup is an oldie but a goodie.  I made this at work for our soup of the day recently.  It's very rich and makes a big pot and is perfect for a cold day!  Leftovers are great too!  Here's how to make it:

Chicken Parmesan Subs

Happy Birthday, Drew!  He loves Chicken Parmesan but I think it can get a little boring sometimes!  I wanted to make him his favorite food for his birthday but put my own twist on it.  We're both big fans of a good sub, so I decided on Chicken Parmesan Subs.  This recipe serves 2-4.  Here's how to make it:

Happy Thanksgiving!

I hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving! Here are all of the recipes from my Thanksgiving dinner!

Roasted Turkey Breast with Herb Butter Crust

What you'll need:

6 lb turkey breast, skin on and bone-in

1 stick unsalted butter, room temperature

1 tbsp fresh rosemary, minced

1 tbsp fresh thyme, minced

1 tbsp fresh sage, minced

2 tsp salt

3 cloves of garlic, minced or grated

Chicken stock, as needed

For the brine:

1 gallon of water

1 cup kosher salt

1/2 cup brown sugar

Ice, as needed

In a large stock pot, combine water, salt and sugar.  Heat until the salt and sugar are melted then add enough ice to cool it down.  Add the turkey breast, cover and let sit in the fridge overnight.

The next day, take the turkey breast out of the brine and rinse with water.  Pat dry really well with paper towels.  Place in a roasting dish.

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees.

In a small bowl, combine butter, rosemary, sage, thyme, garlic and salt.  Spread over the turkey breast making sure to get under the skin.

Pour some chicken stock in the bottom of the roasting dish, a cup or so.

Roast in the oven for about 2 hours or until a thermometer reads 155-160.

Take out of the oven and cover with aluminum foil.  Let it rest before carving.  While it's resting, it will continue to cook to 165 degrees.

Slice and serve!

Chili Mac and Cheese

Can you tell it's comfort food season at my house?  Here's another mac and cheese recipe.  Chili Mac! I love using pasta shells for this recipe because they hold so much of the filling.  Here's how to make it:

Mushroom Risotto

This is a very earthy and flavorful risotto, perfect for a cold night. Risotto is one of my favorite things to make because it is so versatile.  All you need is a basic risotto recipe, then you can add anything you want.  For this recipe, I went with mushrooms!  Risotto is actually a technique for cooking rice, that's where the dish gets its name.  The holidays are coming up and this would be a perfect dish to make!  Here's how to make it:

Jerk Chicken Chili - 3rd Place!

After going out to eat the other night and having some really good jerk chicken nachos, I really wanted to make something with jerk spices.  My apartment complex was having a chili cook-off so I decided to make Jerk Chicken Chili.  I won third place and a set of ceramic mason jars!  How southern, right?  Even though it was a small competition, it was still a lot of fun.  My parents came up to participate and we had a great time.  Here's the recipe!:

Garlic and Herb Mashed Potatoes

Mmm, mashed potatoes!  Everyone has a recipe for them...or a few!  Garlic mashed potatoes are my favorite!  Here's how I make mine:

Low Country Soup

One of my favorite things ever is a Low Country Boil.  It brings back so many memories of the beach and being with family.  I find myself craving it from time to time but it's not something you would just whip up on any given day.  If you're not familiar with a Low Country Boil, it's just seafood, potatoes, sausage and corn boiled together in a big pot.  When it's done, you lay newspaper on a table and pour everything out.  Everyone stands around and eats.  No utensils required.  It's great!  This is something we would do a lot at our beach house, Windy Point.  It doesn't get much better than digging for your own clams.  We had a really unusually cold first day of November and I wanted to make a big pot of soup.  When I started thinking about what I wanted to make, all of the ingredients from a boil came to mind.  So I thought, why not make a soup with all the things I love about a low country boil?  What could be better! Here's what I came up with:

Easy Sesame Noodles

These sesame noodles are soo easy and quick!  They are one of my favorite things to make because they are simple and satisfying.  They are even good leftover the next day, straight from the refrigerator.  Here's how to make them:

Chicken Noodle Soup with Orzo and Lemon

Cold and flu season is definitely here.  I've been battling a cold the past few days and couldn't think of anything I'd rather eat than chicken noodle soup.  I add a whole rotisserie chicken and lots of lemon juice to give it a nice tang.  It's easy and delicious.  Here's how to make it:

Sweet Potato Gnocchi

Gnocchi!  It's so good and a great change from regular old pasta.  Gnocchi are little dumplings that are made with potato.  I had some sweet potatoes laying around and thought it would be fun to make sweet potato gnocchi instead.  It's easy to make and is stored in the freezer which makes it great for a quick dinner.  Here's how to make it:

 

Buffalo Chicken Mac and Cheese

Fall is here and that means comfort food. We had some friends over on Sunday to watch the Panthers game.  What better dish to make for a crowd than a big batch of mac and cheese?  Buffalo chicken mac and cheese sounded perfect for a football game.  I've been wanting to come up with a recipe like this for a while.  Blue cheese is one of those things some people just really hate, so I didn't want this dish to be overpowered with Blue cheese.  I used Gorgonzola cheese because it is a little milder than regular Blue cheese. Everyone agreed that it was subtle and really good!  Here's how to make it:

Taco Salad

Taco salads are one of my favorites!  It's not the healthiest salad for you, but it's really tasty and flavorful and really satisfies.  This recipe uses my Taco Seasoning and my All Purpose Taco Meat.  The rest is just adding some of your favorite toppings!  Add anything you'd like.  It will turn out great!